Hunted Cow Signs Publishing Agreement With Criss Cross

Hunted Cow, the highlands-based developer and publisher behind games including Tank Battle: North Africa, Battle Dungeon: Risen and Fallen Sword, has signed a deal with Dundee’s Criss Cross Games, to bring the studio’s first title, Crystal Reign, to market on a number of platforms, beginning with iOS and Android tablets.

Details on the game are scant at the moment, but from a very early build and some exclusive screenshots, we can reveal that Crystal Reign is a tower combat game, which combines shoot-em-up game play with ‘physics-based flinging mechanics’.

Criss Cross describes the game as:

…a mix between physics/artillery games like Worms and Angry Birds; and shoot-em-up games like R-type. Players take control of towers built from distinct layers that each contribute some kind of offensive or defensive ability like the Bomber that launches little flying drones the player can detonate or the Zap trap that releases a ball of science-magic that can stun enemies.

Over the course of a campaign, players will unlock new layers and be able to build a taller tower so that they can take on bigger and more varied enemies with differing abilities, all on the path to take on “huge mechanical bosses”

 You can see some early artwork below…

Criss Cross Games is a new studio formed by a team of Abertay graduates.  Criss Cross won backing from the Abertay Prototype Fund in 2012 to start work on the game which became Crystal Reign.

Jamie Fisher, the lead designer at Criss Cross Games says:

Crystal Reign has been an excellent experience for us! We’re excited to put it in the hands of others and see just how much fun they’ll have playing it. This is our first release, both as a company and as individuals so of course we’re nervous but it’s time to let it fly and see how far it can go!

Andrew Mulholland, Director of Hunted Cow says:

We saw a lot of potential in the team at Criss Cross and we’re pleased to be able to help them bring this awesome game to iOS and Android.

Paul Durrant, Director of Business Development at Abertay University, says:

We’re delighted to see Hunted Cow as successful Abertay graduates helping to publish the first title from Criss Cross Games. The Prototype Fund is designed to give talented new teams the opportunity to secure extra funding and publisher interest, and this deal shows how well it’s working.

This is a relatively rare form of cooperation in the Scottish games sector.  We’re looking forward to seeing the results of this deal in the next few months.  Congratulations to Criss Cross and Hunted Cow.